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Freedom of Movement 25 - Mdina.

I meet Jackie in Valletta, and she suggests looking for a location in The Silent City. It’s the old walled city of Mdina, and it really is special. Very quiet. It’s also pretty windy, so we don’t hang about with lights and softboxes. We get the job done in a tiny back street, and then move to a local restaurant with a view for lunch.

“I’m British at heart, and always will be.”

Jackie is half-Brtish, half-German. She was born and grew up in Germany, (in an army family). She moved a great many times while growing up, so freedom of movement is nothing new. After college she moved to Australia, then moved to the UK for about 10 years, before moving here about a year ago, with her parents.

Jackie is bilingual, a German speaker, and works for a German online gaming company.

“Germans are hardworking, precise, take a pride in their work, but they are also the hardest people to manage. The industry is big in Malta. Money is good, but it’s not very convenient to get here from most places, so it’s not a place where people come and go; people stay for a year and earn their bonuses before moving on.”

Jackie is thinking of moving back to the UK in the next year. “I knew before I moved here that it was too small - it was only ever going to be a short-term thing, 2 - 4 years.”

I ask her about dual citizenship, which she’s entitled to, as a UK/German citizen. She didn’t apply for it, but decided instead to waive her German citizenship - too much hassle, as Germany doesn’t like dual nationality. Besides, she says, she feels more British than anything.

She and her family have jobs in Malta and have applied for the Maltese ID card, so will be free to come and go after the UK leaves the EU - her parents are not planning on moving away from Malta.

So, although it may not be the same for other EU countries, she will at least retain her freedom of movement in and out of Malta.